Rejected
by Sailing1488
Summary: James has finally decided to put aside his love for Lily Evans, right as she decides to be decent to him. Seventh year begins as both of them struggle with their true feelings, suffer through family death, exams, romance, and much more. Jily!
1. Chapter 1

James Potter was done with Lily Evans. He was done. Or at least, that's what he told himself as he boarded the Hogwarts Express.

That last rejection had stung. More than the first time he had asked her. More than fifth year. Damn, it had hurt more than almost anything he'd ever felt!

It had been the end of sixth year. James and her hadn't shouted in about a week, so he'd opened his heart up to her. Told her he loved her. And in a cold fury, she had screamed at him. It wasn't funny to joke about this, she had shrieked. She was sick of his joking, his pranks, of him! And she had stalked off.

And this was why he was done with Lily Evans. No more engraving initials into papers, tests, desks. Since he was in custody of the Maurader's Map, he had removed the message that said _Mr. Prongs gives all his love to the beautiful redhead of his dreams_ if Lily were to open it. He fondled the parchment in his pocket happily, running his finger across the yellowed paper. It wasn't actually old, in fact they had put a protection charm of sorts on it, but the crumbled edges and faded paper had given it the look of an ancient relic and made sure it wasn't used for essay paper. If one did, in fact, try to use it to write upon, it would crumple itself up and shoot back to one of the Marauders (but James had charmed it so it only returned to him, or Sirius if he was otherwise occupied. Moony, well, there was always the chance he could be a werewolf, and Peter had only been let in on the secret because he found them huddled around it, and the Map disliked him anyway).

James walked down the familiar scarlet steam engine and spotted Remus sitting alone in a compartment. He looked rather pale and bedraggled, and a fresh cut burned an angry red on his pale face. James knew for a fact that the full moon had been the previous night. He had enchanted a calendar to glow a silvery white on a day of the full moon and howl an hour before the moon came to its peak. This way, they could transport him to the Shrieking Shack and become Animagi before he went wild on them.

"Enough thoughts," James muttered to himself, hefting his luggage above the compartment where Moony was sitting. As he did so, something crashed into his back and he lost his grip on the suitcase. It fell off the top rack in almost slow motion before James managed to transfigure it into a feather, which drifted down harmlessly onto... Lily Evans?

James' eyes widened in shock as she got up and apologized profusely. "Marlene put a clumsiness charm on me, I've been crashing into people left and right." She hadn't looked up yet, but as she did her green eyes narrowed slightly. "Oh. Potter." He watched silently as she gritted her teeth. "I'm really sorry about that," she said, and it seemed three-quarters genuine. "It's fine," James said icily before sliding into his compartment and slamming the door on a confused Lily Evans.

He hadn't been able to deny the way his heart pounded upon seeing her red curtain of hair and green, catlike eyes and rosy red lips and pale complexion and...

Shut up, Potter, he thought to himself angrily. Just like Lily would say, he thought before he could stop himself.

"Moony!" he cried. His werewolf friend stirred as James placed the feather in his pocket. "How _are_ you?"

"Bad," Remus muttered, turning away. James plunked himself down next to his friend right as Sirius arrived.

"Prongsie! Moony!" Sirius cried, pinching Remus on the cheek. "You're getting far too thin, we'll have to fatten you up."

"Padfoot," Remus groaned, pulling away. "You're like my mother, for Merlin's sake."

"Better replace the one I don't have," Sirius said with a touch of bitterness.

"Sirius!" Remus swatted him. "Don't go bad on us now. Walburga Black and her awfulness, psh, let's forget about her. Have some chocolate."

Sirius rubbed the stinging red mark on his arm and accepted the chocolate. He took a bite and lay back, closing his eyes. "That's the stuff. Are these Chocolate Cauldrons?"

Moony nodded. "Some've got caramel, for James, butterscotch for Peter, and a few have got Firewhiskey, for you. I've just got plain chocolate," he said at the questioning looks. "Mum knows you like those."

"She does," James said, whisking one out of the box and making a face. "This'll be Wormtail's. Where is he, anyway?"

A rat skittered out from under the seat and looked up at them, squeaking, eyes bright. It transformed into a slightly plump, rosy-cheeked, Peter Pettigrew.

The Marauders laughed. Where else would Peter be, anyway?

* * *

Lily Evans was going to be nice to James Potter. She had steeled it into her heart and brain, which currently still hated the boy. Last year, when he made his big "confession" she might've been a little harsh. Okay, not a little. Maybe a lot.

She boarded the steam engine, her eyes prickling. Mostly with memories and the fact that this was her last time boarding this to go to Hogwarts. A smile graced her face as she saw a familiar head.

One of her closest friends, Marlene McKinnon, sauntered down the hall. "Lils!" the blonde called. "Marls!" Lily replied gleefully, running down the corridor to hug her friend. She skidded to a halt as she realized how much older her friend looked.

Marlene had always been quite attractive, but this year she had really grown into herself. She had gotten about an inch or two taller and stood much straighter with an air of confidence. She wore a shirt showing off her cleavage and a miniskirt showing her long, bronzed legs.

Lily felt like a dork standing next to her in a boxy floral dress and ratty sneakers, just about the only thing she hadn't packed away for Hogwarts. Petunia had also taken a few pieces of her clothing. Neither of the Evans sisters owned anything remotely "sexy", but Marlene had loaned Lily a few things here and there. And of course, Petunia had to go and ruin it for Lily.

"You look great Marls!" Lily said, wrapping her in a hug.

"Thanks Lils!" Marlene said graciously. "You as well. Now come on, before all the compartments are taken."

Marlene practically waltzed through the crowd, greeting everyone. Lily lost sight of her and began to shove through the hallway, muttering "excuse me, excuse me,". It was much harder seeing as Marlene had not failed to put a Clumsiness charm on her-a tradition since 3rd year. She had missed the incantation this year though, so Marlene must have figured out how to do it nonverbally.

Sighing, she staggered into someone putting up their trunk. He staggered and transfigured it into a feather as she ducked and sighed in relief. "I'm so sorry! Marlene put a clumsiness charm on me, I've been crashing into people left and right." She glanced up to see who it was, and before she could stop herself, the words were out of her mouth. "Oh. Potter." Bitter and revengeful, she thought to herself, that's what I am. But Potter aside-she had almost killed herself with a trunk. Smashing her teeth together, she tried for a smile. "I'm really sorry about that." Which of course sounded so contradictory, he'd think she was an idiot, and he couldn't think that-wait. Why couldn't he think that? She didn't care what he thought about her. She wasn't supposed to!

"It's fine," he said, and it was not his usual, relaxed tone. It was one of a bitter frosty wind. She parted her lips to say something, but the compartment door was slammed in her face. Confused and lost, Lily continued down the corridor, looking for Marlene. As she walked, she pondered on what just happened. Potter must have decided on hating her back, but why? Surely it couldn't have been last year-fifth year didn't change him, so why would sixth? And would seventh be any different?

Marlene popped her blonde head out of a compartment door. "Lils! In here!"

Gratefully, Lily slid into the cozy compartment and sat down on a velvet-covered seat. "It appears James Potter has changed his mind about me," she declared as Alice Prewett handed her a wrapped brownie from her mother.

"Ooo, are we calling him James now?" Marlene said, always eager for hot gossip.

"No," Lily said with a sigh. Her mates were a bit boy crazy. She launched into the tale as the Hogwarts Express took off toward the school.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope y'all enjoyed! Please review! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! (: A warning: I do NOT have any particular updating schedule as I rather like to write on my own whims and it does take me a bit to think of an original idea for a chapter. I will probably update on Fridays and Saturdays. I have a tendency to get to the second chapter and get disinterested. I'll update Eligens, I promise cx. That's my other fanfiction, go check it out!**

 **Sorry for not updating in ages. Eek!**

 **Anyway, enough about me. Let's get on with the story!**

Lily and her friends staggered off the train laughing, supporting eachother. There had been no Head's meeting whilst on the train because of high winds and unability to move between compartments. It left a fluttery feeling in Lily's stomach to not know who was the other Head. She had suspected it would not be Remus, because of his transformations, and she hoped it was not Snape, although he had never shown much leadership.

"Lily? Lily?" Marlene said, poking her. "You're doing that face again."

"Oh," Lily said distractedly. "Mm."

Marlene laughed, throwing back her head and letting the rain spatter her cheeks. Her face and eyes glowed with mirth and joy, a far different Marlene than Lily had seen over the summer. Marlene's parents disliked her immensely, and when at home she was sullen and rebellious.

Alice jabbed Lily. "It's Frank," she said hurriedly, ducking behind Lily and Marlene. Sharing looks of glee, Lily and Marlene shoved Alice forward into Frank's path.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Frank exclaimed upon seeing Alice in his pathway, just avoiding a collision.

"N-no problem!" Alice stuttered, bright spots of color appearing on her cheeks.

"She's a Gryffindor, but she can't even be brave around her own man," Mary MacDonald muttered, popping up next to them as they faded back. "Thanks for waiting for me."

"Mary!" Lily said. "I wondered where you'd gone off to."

Mary pressed a finger to her lips and Lily returned her gaze to the conversation at hand.

"Yes, that sounds lovely," Alice beamed. "You're wonderful at Herbology though, I can't imagine why you'd need me as a tutor,"

Frank said something that the girls couldn't hear, but only caused Alice to glow even more. Marlene groaned. "Make a move, one of you!"

"This is the biggest move we've seen in years, shut it Marlene," Mary hissed to her friend.

Alice was now heading back towards the girls lurking in the shadows.

"-Did you hear!"

"-finally asked you-"

"-so sweet!" the girls exclaimed at their friend, who ducked away from their exuberant hugs.

"It's just tutoring, it's nothing special, although I can't imagine why he'd need it anyway," Alice said, her cheeks the shade of a raspberry.

"Just tutoring!" Marlene said gleefully. "We all know what happens at tutoring..."

"Marlene!" Alice exclaimed. "I'm not going to be shagging him on the table like in your trashy romance novels,"

"Hmm," Marlene said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "We'll see about that in a few months."

Mary cleared her throat. "I'm freezing," she said. "Let's go and get a carriage before they're all taken."

The girls walked towards the carriages drawn by invisible thestrals. Lily only knew this because in fourth year, Mary's uncle had died in an attack on his house where she had been staying. Thankfully, she and her family had been able to Apparate out unscathed, but only after they saw the uncle get hit by a Killing Curse. Mary had fainted upon seeing the thestrals, rattled from her experience over the summer. Lily had gone to Dumbledore to see why her friend was seeing these strange apparitions, and he had gently explained to her the situation.

Thankfully, Lily still could not see the death horses, and clambered into the carriage alongside her friends.

"Black," Marlene said, glaring at a familiar figure already seated. The Marauders, it seemed, had already occupied the carriage.

"McKinnon," Sirius replied airily.

Marlene harrumphed and Lily silently applauded her as she turned away from Sirius. But something more different than usual was in Sirius's gaze. His eyes fell upon her undone buttons, her short skirt, and a look of curiosity and reluctance shadowed his gaze.

Marlene had apparently noticed this too. "Stop eyeing me up, Black, or I swear I will punch you in the face." Sirius started and looked up at her guiltily. His expression quickly twisted into a smirk, but he said nothing and instead returned to the intense game of Exploding Snap the other three boys were playing.

Rolling her eyes, Marlene turned back to the three of them as they crammed into the small carriage. "Anyway," she said. "Lily, you said you had something to show us?"

"Oh!" Lily said. "I forgot." She dug around in her small purse for a moment until her hand fell upon a cold metal badge. She proudly displayed it to her friends, not even noticing when the Marauders went deathly silent.

"Knew you'd get that, Lils," Alice said, but with a look of wistfulness on her face. "Imagine all the privileges you'll get! A nice room, a hopefully attractive boy to share it with, the _bathroom_ for Merlin's sake, it's huge, house points!"

"How would you know about the bathroom, Alice?" Mary said, leaning forward curiously.

Alice blushed. "Diggory in fifth year?"

"I was hoping he'd be Head Boy," Lily said, oblivious to James staring daggers at her. "I mean, he's pretty handsome, nice..."

"So I suppose you wouldn't mind that I'm Head Boy, would you?" James said icily. Lily's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak but James cut her off. "No, prissy Lily Evans needs the best of the best, doesn't she, and she wouldn't care for anyone as lowly and arrogant and as big-headed as I. Perhaps you can arrange with your old pal Dumbledore, who I'm _sure_ would just _love_ to switch out your Head Boy for some other big-headed prat."

"T-that's not how I meant it, Pott-James!"

"Oh, it's dearest James now, is it? Now that you've upset poor Jamsie, you'll make him feel better? Why would that matter? Why would it, after all these years of you bullying me? You talk about me bullying Snivellus, or Snape, but you never even thought of your own cruelty, Evans. Just leave me alone, okay?" He stood and exited the carriage, Sirius following. Peter scurried after them, and Remus cast a remorseful glance at Lily.

"Tell him that's not how I meant it!" Lily pleaded with him, but he only glanced at her regretfully and left.

Marlene, Alice, Mary and Lily left the carriage without a word until they reached the entrance. Softly conversing as so not to disturb their classmates, Marlene said: "You were a bit harsh on him last year, Lily."

Alice and Mary murmured agreements.

"Oh, so now it's everyone against Lily, is it?" Lily said, her voiced pitched an octave higher than normal.

"No! Lils, we were just saying maybe you should try to be a bit nicer?" Alice said, wrapping her arms around her friend.

"I tried, Al, I tried! Now I'm stuck with someone who hates me for the rest of the year!"

"He doesn't hate you." Mary said bluntly. "He just needs some time to get over last year."

Lily sighed miserably. "I knew I was wrong saying that, I was wrong, I was wrong! I knew it right after I said it, it was cruel and it wasn't nice! Okay? Happy now?"

Her friends wordlessly gathered around her and embraced her, it was here where Lily always felt safe and it was no exception now, somehow in that knot of four girls there was a solid unbreakable force that each one could lean on when they needed it.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed! -Sailing**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Happy new year, everyone! Sorry for not updating in AGES, but love all of you! :)**

Lily sighed happily as she sat down at the Gryffindor table. Home at last.

And for her, it _was_ home. It was more home than her own. For her, Hogwarts was where she belonged. In the Muggle world, she felt outcasted, alone, persecuted, even. It reminded her of ashtrays and smoke curling from her mother's cigarette, her fragility, her father's death by cancer. But at Hogwarts, she fit in, she had friends, she was called 'beautiful' by boys, even if most of said boys were James Potter. It brought forth thoughts of flickering candles, the fresh smell of a new book, new and strange candies, and a whole new world she hadn't even known existed before she was 11.

Lost in thought, she had barely noticed the Sorting had begun until their table burst into applause as a small boy hurried to sit down. Surprisingly, his eyes were damp and red by the time he sat, and he buried his head in his arms. Lily observed this boy as applause flooded the table again and again. To her shock, James Potter left his friends and sat by the little boy.

She watched the boy reply to his query and Potter burst into laughter, making the boy look quite uncomfortable. An old feeling of fury and dispassion stirred in her chest as she watched Potter most probably make fun of the boy. She made to stand, but Dumbledore began to speak and the Hall fell into a hush.

His speech was along the lines of the houses beginning to stand together against the threat of You-Know-Who. It was known that Dumbledore was not afraid of the name Voldemort, so she was surprised when he instead replaced the name with You-Know-Who. After explaining the name was Taboo, and what that meant, the hall began to murmur uneasily.

"-called him the name..."

"-d'you think she'll be all right?"

"we'll all die!"

"...never getting out of this mess,"

Lily, though, was too preoccupied with her own thoughts and worries to listen to the other stories. Her thoughts raced at the same speed as her rapidly beating heart, and with it came sharp and rapid breaths. Her vision began to blur, but not before someone slapped her on the cheek.

"Lils, you alright?" Marlene's blue eyes came into focus after the stinging slap.

She nodded weakly. "My mum-and Petunia," she croaked out.

Marlene patted her on the back and looked her in the eyes. Shifting hues met eachother. "Lils. Lils, look at me. What happened?"

Lily obliged with a shuddering sob. "T-this summer, I told them all about the war. Tuney, sorry, Petunia, found a Daily Prophet in my room when she was snooping around and saw the caption about muggleborns being attacked by Voldemort. Of course, the Prophet's shut up about all that now but she found the article I'd saved from a couple years back. So she told Mum and I had to explain to them, and I told them about-" she paused for a moment to snuff back her tears and continued. "-you-know-who and his gang. And I told them it was alright to say the names even though the Wizarding community was afraid of them, and what if they've said the names and now they've gotten to them!" Lily burst into sobs again and furiously wiped the tears away from her eyes as the Gryffindor table stared at her.

"Go back to your eating," Marlene barked fiercely at the table, turning to Lily as she did so. "Lily. It'll be okay. Send them an owl telling them the names are Taboo, and what that means. As long as you send it quickly, everything will be fine." Marlene knew as well as Lily that either her sister or mum might've spoke the forbidden words, but she wasn't about to tell the other girl that. "Now eat up before the food disappears."

Lily piled food on her plate but found she didn't have an appetite. She pushed her food around her plate until it disappeared, and ignored the desserts entirely, claiming she was full and needed her skirt to fit around her waist for at least a month. At last they were excused and Lily waited by the door for McGonagall.

"Professor!" she called after the tall witch. McGonagall turned impatiently.

"Yes, Evans?" she asked the redhead. "What is it you need?"

"I was wondering if the Head Boy and I had different sleeping arrangements than the regular dormitories?" Lily had heard rumors of a Head dormitory, and she was slightly eager to see if they were true, although the twang of hunger and sadness in her stomach dulled the curiosity.

"Ah, of course. Since both you and Mr. Potter are Gryffindors, we figured it would be best to move it close to the Fat Lady's portrait. The entrance is directly past the portrait of the Fat Lady by a painting of a crackling blaze. The password is 'Hogswash', although I would advise you to change it."

"Thank you, professor," Lily said to McGonagall.

"Have a good sleep," she said in a rare moment of kindness, and swept away followed by the feather on her hat.

Lily followed the instructions to find an empty dormitory. In the center was a large red sofa with a crackling fire, reminding her irresistably of the Gryffindor common room. On either side were two doors, Lily choosing the left side which was hung with a small plaque reading Head Girl.

The room was relatively basic, with a bed much like the ones in the Gryffindor dorms, a bookshelf, a wardrobe, and a window perch.

As Lily climbed into the bed, she felt a wave of tiredness engulf her, from the worry, hunger, and nerves, and let the gray arms of sleep envelop her into a dreamless world.


End file.
